Who Should I Start? Cade Stover or AJ Barner

Monday, September 8, 2:53 PM

Houston Texans second-year tight end Cade Stover (foot) broke his foot in Sunday's game against the Rams and will be out indefinitely. On a day where the Texans' passing attack found limited success, Stover led the team with four catches, which he turned into 22 yards. After a quiet rookie season, it's unlikely Stover was rostered in many leagues, and that will unfortunately remain the case after one of the best games of his young career. With Christian Kirk (hamstring) still sidelined, the Texans are in desperate need of secondary options in the passing game to take some of the defensive attention away from Nico Collins. The best bet will be second-round rookie receiver Jayden Higgins, who will look to top his two-catch debut; however, behind a struggling offensive line, the Texans' offense as a whole could continue to look sluggish, making Collins the only reliable weekly starter.

Monday, October 13, 11:29 AM

Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner saw his production dip slightly in Sunday's 20-12 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, but was still effective even on minimal work. Barner caught a career-high seven passes in Week 5, but drew only three targets against Jacksonville (3/71). Despite the downtick, the 23-year-old placed second in yards, receptions, and looks to target hog teammate Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and remains an intriguing fantasy play. While the touchdowns can't be counted on every week, Barner is far and away the snap leader at his position, and the clear third target on the team behind Smith-Njigba and veteran Cooper Kupp. Fantasy managers can't expect weekly consistency quite yet with diminished target totals, but the Michigan alum is an excellent streaming option and is slowly rising up the dynasty ranks.